Synonyms of nervy

nervy

adjective

ˈnər-vē 

1

as in wise

displaying or marked by rude boldness

the nervy waiter held up the small tip and called out to the departing customers, "Hope it doesn't break the bank!"

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wise
• cheeky
• cocky
• bold
• impudent
• brazen
• brassy
• saucy
• fresh
• sassy
• insolent
• defiant
• cocksure
• blunt
• audacious
• assertive
• brash
• impertinent
• cute
• brazen-faced
• arch
• smart
• bold-faced
• disrespectful
• obtrusive
• brassbound
• forward
• unabashed
• curt
• shameless
• flippant
• bluff
• unblushing
• mouthy
• facetious
• flip
• pert
• smart-alecky
• smart-aleck
• lippy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• timid
• shy
• meek
• modest
• humble
• proper
• polite
• retiring
• courteous
• genteel
• mousy
• respectful
• deferential
• mild
• ashamed
• gentle
• embarrassed
• demure
• inconspicuous
• mannerly
• unobtrusive
• abashed
• shamefaced
• blushing

2

as in adventurous

inclined or willing to take risks

nervy rock climbers wanting to make gravity-defying ascents

Synonyms & Similar Words

• adventurous
• daring
• fearless
• courageous
• brave
• bold
• gutsy
• enterprising
• nerved
• hardy
• adventuresome
• venturous
• audacious
• impulsive
• venturesome
• reckless
• dashing
• heroic
• valiant
• gallant
• free-swinging
• emboldened
• impetuous
• foolish
• spirited
• incautious
• overconfident
• rash
• madcap
• thoughtless
• intrepid
• stupid
• brash
• foolhardy
• imprudent
• daredevil
• silly
• dauntless
• wild
• heedless
• unafraid
• plucky
• hotheaded
• spunky
• dumb
• undaunted
• hasty
• gritty
• mad
• valorous
• unnecessary
• nutty
• stalwart
• wacky
• scatterbrained
• overbold
• absurd
• irrational
• witless
• unreasonable
• stouthearted
• insane
• headlong
• lionhearted
• idiotic
• crazy
• swashbuckling
• lunatic
• stout
• precipitate
• asinine
• balmy
• moronic
• brainless
• greathearted
• harebrained
• half-witted
• gadarene

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• timid
• careful
• shy
• unadventurous
• cautious
• timorous
• wary
• unenterprising
• craven
• pusillanimous
• coward
• cowardly
• milky
• prudent
• fearful
• afraid
• frightened
• overcautious
• heedful
• scared
• terrified
• chickenhearted
• startled
• spooked
• alarmed
• lily-livered
• unnerved
• reasonable
• calm
• shocked
• horrified
• rational
• sensible
• sound
• milk-livered
• wise
• poltroon
• cool
• sane
• upset
• affrighted
• worried
• levelheaded
• overcareful
• concerned
• fainthearted
• terrorized
• sage
• dismayed
• appalled

3

as in nervous

feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty

I'm a little nervy about my first job interview

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nervous
• worried
• anxious
• upset
• uneasy
• troubled
• apprehensive
• tense
• uptight
• jittery
• perturbed
• hesitant
• jumpy
• concerned
• insecure
• ill at ease
• edgy
• goosey
• flustered
• disturbed
• queasy
• dithery
• on tenterhooks
• bothered
• antsy
• unquiet
• on edge
• on pins and needles
• restless
• distraught
• hinky
• het up
• obsessed
• aggrieved
• preoccupied
• freaked
• fretful
• distressed
• disquieted
• foreboding
• keyed up
• aflutter
• atwitter
• vexed
• shook-up
• freaked-out
• hung up
• fretting
• fidgety
• unnerved
• high-strung
• unstrung
• misgiving
• spooky
• fluttery
• flighty
• undone
• skittish
• qualmish
• stewing
• qualmy
• hypertense
• twittered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• easy
• calm
• nerveless
• collected
• cool
• relaxed
• confident
• sure
• happy-go-lucky
• controlled
• self-assured
• self-confident
• self-controlled

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of nervy

Her unvarnished, heartsore turn as a woman unprepared to be the face of a movement, but shouldering that responsibility anyway, gives this otherwise stoic affair a nervy, sensitive spine. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 July 2026

Coach Thomas Tuchel helped England navigate a nervy 3-2 win over Mexico in a Round of 16 match in Mexico City. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026

At lunch, after 25 overs, were a nervy Henry Nicholls on 23 from 50 balls and Rachin Ravindra on 11 after a couple of exquisite boundaries. — ABC News, 17 June 2026

Outside Boston last weekend, during Scotland’s first World Cup match in twenty-eight years, a nervy 1–0 victory against Haiti, McTominay heard plenty of familiar cheers. — Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 16 June 2026